Priest Vukomanovic: Vandals target not only Orthodox churches, but also the homes of local residents

Frequent attacks on religious buildings in villages in central Kosovo are negatively affecting the local population, priest Vladan Vukomanovic stated after the Church of St. Nedelja in Gornja Gusterica was broken into, noting that the homes of Orthodox residents are also often targeted by vandals.

The priest recalled that this is the third attack by vandals in the recent period.

“After the break-in at the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius in Dobrotin, unknown perpetrators came around midnight on the 21st to Gornja Gusterica, specifically to the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Nedelja, and forced open the entrance door with a blunt object — we assume it was a crowbar. They entered the church and broke open the table where money from the sale of candles and other items displayed in the church was kept. They then entered the altar and moved the sacred objects around in the hope of finding money. I want to emphasize that this is the third act of vandalism in the past month, which has a very negative impact on the local population in central Kosovo,” Father Vukomanovic said.

He stressed that the case has been reported to the Kosovo Police.

“An on-site investigation was conducted, and I hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice as soon as possible. I also hope that such incidents will no longer occur,” he said.

He noted that frequent acts of vandalism have a serious psychological impact on the faithful.

“It affects the believers very negatively, because the targets of vandals are not only Orthodox churches, but also the homes of Orthodox residents. In recent months, the houses of our local believers and villagers have also been broken into,” the priest said.

The first person to notice the break-in was church caretaker Sujica Petkovic.

“When I arrived at nine o’clock and approached the gate, I saw that the church was open. At first I thought I had forgotten to lock it. But when I got closer, I saw that it had been broken into. I called the priest to come, and he immediately reported it to the police. The police arrived right away,” Petkovic said.
According to him, the perpetrators redirected the cameras and knocked down a floodlight.
“They moved the camera upward — you can see it. Then they broke the door. They tried once, and on the second attempt they managed to break it. They took what they took. They did not touch the money left by the icons — perhaps they did not know about it. They only took the money from the sale of candles,” Petkovic said.

Just two days earlier, in the neighboring village of Dobrotin, the Church of St. Demetrius was broken into, and the burglars took a box containing voluntary donations.

In addition, in Dobrotin, a person recently wrote graffiti reading “KLA,” “Albania,” and “Free Gaza” on a local clinic and kindergarten.

In Skulanevo near Lipljan, the Serbian flag was removed twice from the grave of the recently deceased Ivica Talic, and unknown perpetrators also damaged the fence at the Orthodox cemetery in that village.